Gerald Wayne Burford was born 26 September 1939 in Brinkley, Monroe County, Arkansas.
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These are the only pictures I have of Jerry Burford.
Jerry was the son of Bernice and Dorothy Burford.
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I don't really know much about Jerry. Here is what my mother wrote in her memoirs:
Jerry had polio when he was about 5 years old. He was paralyzed from the waist down. He used crutches. He was a good singer, and I remember him singing for the family when we were children, and the family would get together.
Jerry worked at the space center in Corpus Christi, Texas. He was an inspector and he inspected the turbo engines that went to the moon. They fixed him a moving belt that would move him and his wheel chair to whatever spot he needed to be in the process of doing his job. Jerry lost the use of his left arm and hand in an accident at work while he was working at the space center. When Jerry died in Corpus Christi, Texas, his family had him cremated and his ashes sent to them in Alton, Illinois for burial.
Jerry Burford married Hannah (unknown maiden name).
Children of Jerry and Hannah Burford are:
i. Carrianna Stratton Burford, born 1965.
ii. Gerald Paul Burford, born 1967.
iii. Dorothy April Burford, born 1969.
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Gerald Wayne Burford died 18 April 2006, age 66. He was buried in Oakwood Cemetery, Alton, Madison County, Illinois.
Besides having a very good voice and impressive repertoire, he was also a very good upright bass player. I grew up believing that Jerry was 4 years old when they discovered that he had polio. The way they found out was one morning Jerry crawled into Bernie and Dorothy's bedroom to Bernie's side of the bed and told them he couldn't walk. Bernie tried to stand him up and said "he went down like a dishrag." It's hard to imagine such a thing. ~ Bob Burford
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